(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Reigning champion jockey Tadhg OShea has a great start to his title defence campaign
Fityaan (left) ridden by Dane O’Neill powers to glory at the Jebel Ali Race Course in Dubai on Friday. — KT photo by Mukesh Kamal
Dubai: Fityaan ridden by Dane O’Neill led a 1-2 finish for the horses of Shaikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Minister of Finance to earn trainer Musabah Al Muhairi a well-deserved victory in the 1000m Shadwell TB Handicap the highlight of the season’s curtain raiser at the Jebel Ali Racecourse on Friday afternoon. Ribbat chased the winner home under Royston Ffrench and Zalzilah walked away with the third place honours in the hands of Richard Mullen.
“He’s a mature well-bred performer and there’s more to come from him” said a jubilant Oasis-1 handler Al Muhairi. “Fityaan has been suffering some problems but now he’s perfectly fit for what could be a challenging season. This is his first win up the hill in 17 starts including five consecutive attempts while he has already won on turf since arriving from UK three years ago and the next step is to try him on the new dirt surface at Meydan” he added.
Later in the evening O’Neill brought Kahruman home in great style to register the first double of the new season in the sixth and final race of the opening day in the blue silks of Shaikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum for trainer Erwan Charpy.
Reigning champion jockey Tadhg O’Shea had a great start to his title defence campaign after the Irishman partnered unfancied Mizbah to glory in the first race a 1950m Al Redha Insurance Brokers TB Handicap.
Trained by Doug Watson at the Red Stables the five-year-old gelded son of Dubai Destination broke well and made virtually all to the delight of the members of the owning syndicate Emirates Entertainment Racing Club (EERC). Hot favourite Street Act ridden by Royston Ffrench came with a late run to take second and behind him finished the mount of Patrick Dobbs Maqaraat.
“It’s not our plan to lead but the strategy was to set the early pace in case there’s no speed in the race” said the former champion trainer Doug Watson. O’Shead added: “He’s in good shape and gave me an easy ride. It’s an encouraging start to the title’s defence campaign and hopefully I will be able to build on this success.”
Top weight Need To Know made a smooth progress under Royston Ffrench to lead in the concluding stage of the 1600m Al Shafar Investment TB Handicap second race on the card. “I expected him to win” Ffrench said later. “He has been training very confidently and has seldom run a bad race on this track” he said.
The fourth race a 1000m TB Maiden was won by Marhi who came from nowhere to lead from the wire to the wire and courage on very strongly when attacked by Mutahaddith near post. “His best performance when finished respectable second to Frobisher over course and distance and from that time I knew he was knocking on the door and would deliver very soon” said Al Ain-based trainer Mohammed Ramadan. The partnership of trainer Satish Seemar and jockey Richard Mullen didn’t wait too long to seal their first win of the new season aboard Glenleven who worked his way through to hit the front in the final couple of lengths to emerge the easiest of winner on the line.
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